COURT HOUSE WAS STOLEN.- 3f .t *
Bay MInette , Ala. ( Special. ) The
manner In which the people of Bay
Minette stole a Jail and a courthouse
from the people of Daphne will go
down in the records of the state as
an interesting bit of history. The peo
ple of Daphne are still rubbing their
eyes and wondering how It all hap
pened. It was done according to law ,
but the Daphneites intended to get
the law on the Bay Minetteites and
' foil them. They were caught napping
and the whole state Is laughing at
them. The episode forms a most re
markable story of "hustling. "
The recent legislature passed an act
authorizing the removal of the county
seat of Baldwin County from Daphne
to Bay Minette , but not until after a
long and bitter fight , In which the
.people of Daphne sought to retain their
prestige as the metropolis of the coun
ty.
ty.The
The cornerstone of the new court
house was laid in June of this year ,
and the race to complete it in time for
the October term of court began at
once. Colonel Dobson , the contractor ,
bound himself to hand over the keys
o fthe court house to the commission
ers on October 10 , and in order to make
good his promise worked gangs of men
day and night. Daphne thought the
race a good joke , having been assured
that Colonel Dobson could never fill
his contract within the specified time.
"We will hold the October court all
right , " they said.
On the afternoon of October 10 , while
the commissioners were sitting deject
edly awaiting news , Colonel Dobson
walked into their presence and handed
the chairman a bunch of keys and a
written notice , as follows :
"To D. J. Hand , J. C. Blackburn , J.
R. White and A. E.McMillan , the Hon-
orable Board of Commissioners : I beg
v
leave to notify you that the court
house and jail are now complete.
"F. M. DOBSON'Contractor. " .
Now it so happened that on that very
day a negro boy had been arrested ,
charged with a serious crime , and was
held for the grand jury. Commissioner
had at once conceived the idea that
the arrest of the negro might serve in
the scheme to steal the jail cells and
all from. Daphne , whose people had
announced that they would not surren
der the institution without a fight In
the courts.
He telephoned the foreman at his
lumber camp to have 100 picked men ,
a dozen of them steel workers , with
fifty of his best teams , report to him
at 10 o'clock that night in Bay Mi
r nette , prepared to act as guard for
the safe conveyance of a prisoner to
the jail at Daphne. Indeed , so solici
tous was the commissioner for the
safety of the negro boy that he said .
FRUIT OF THE GALLOWS TREE ,
Hagerstown , Ind. ( Special. ) Work-
men grading a new roadway six miles
south of this place unearthed a hu
man skeleton. None of the men could
identify the remains and inquiry was
made of an old man in the neighbor
hood. He came to the scene and rec
ognized the place as the spot where the
first man hanged in Indiana was bur
ied. Further identification was fur
nished by the buttons and buckles that
still remained oC the man's clothing
and other evidences showed beyond
doubt that the skeleton was that o
Indiana's first legally executed mur
derer , Henry Criss.
' In Wayne county , in 1S15 , Henry
Criss killed his son-in-law , David
Chambers , whose wife complained of
bad treatment from her husband. Criss
went to the home of Chambers and re
monstrated with him. A quarrel en
sued and Criss shot Chambers dead.
A neighbor woman and a 15-year-old
son of Criss saw the killing. Criss was
found guilty mainly upon his sen's
testimony , whom he instructed to
speak the truth though it would hang
his father. Criss vras sentenced to bo
hanged. When the day of execution
arrived the people gathered by thou
sands at the county seat from a region
as far south as Cincinnati and north
to Fort Wayne.
The prisoner was taken from the
jail , where he had been chained to the
floor from the day he was sentenced ,
and conveyed to a giant elm tree that
stood in the jail yard. He was seated
on his coffin , and the Rev. Daniel Fra-
ley , a Methodist minister , preached a
sermon of two hours' duration to the
crowd that surged about. At the close
of the sermon Criss was hanged from
the lower limb of the elm. Death en
sued in fifteeen minutes.
The execution occurred In the early
spring of 1816 , Just after Indiana had
been admitted as a state. That night
the fifteen-year-old son r.J Criss , whose
testimony helped to convict his father
and who had witnessed the execution ,
came alone for the body. It was after
nightfall that he reached the place
and the body was seen moving to and
fro In the wind. He took it down from
the limb , laid it in the coffin and then ,
without any assistance , placed the cof
fin on a common sugar sled. He bound
it with ropes and straps to the sled
stakes , so that the saplings and bushes
that bordered the forest roadway could
not dislodge It. Then mounting the
horse he set out on his solitary jour
ney of fifteen minues throug the wild
woods , in the dead of night , to the
if , home where his father had lived and
Jift. where he had requested to be buried.
When the faithful and iron-hearted
boy reached the cabin in the clearing
he buried his father there and as long
as he lived kept the spot sacred. After
his death , which occurred many years
he would himself accompany the party
and take Senator Hall and the othet
commissioners with him.
The little army , with a long line 9t
wagona , reported as directed , and at
10:30 p. m. the procession quietly moved
through this little town and out tha
Daphne road. Just as the first rays
o the sun were taking their bath in
beautiful Mobile bay , on which Daphna
lies , the cavalcade arrived on the main
street of Daphne.
Mr. Hand informed Sheriff Bryant
that he had a prisoner he desired to
turn over to him , and produced the ne
gro boy and the papers signed by Jus
tice Day. As the boy was put in Jail
Hand and' ' the dozen 'steel workers
went in with him. The sheriff began
to suspect something , and informed
them that they must leave the jail.
Mr. Hand told the sheriff that they
wished to remain on the inside.
"Well , " said the sheriff , "if you will
not go out I shall lock you in. "
"That is just what we most desire , "
said Hand. No sooner had the sheriff
passed out and locked the door than
Hand said : "Now , boys , remove the
prisoners into the back cells and cut
the other cells down. "
While this work was going on in the
jail another crowd of workers was in
the court house , despoiling it of every
movable thing , from judge's stand to
cuspidors , and piling them up on the
wagons. The sheriff in the meantime
chartered a boat and went to Mobile
to consult his attorney , and when he
returned with an injunction the court
house and jail were only shells. The
cages were empty , for the prisoners ,
too , had been loaded on the wagons.
Court furniture , fixtures and records
are piled up in and around the new
court house and jail , and the people
of Bay Minette are happy. The peo
ple of Daphne are angry and refuse to
be comforted. Excitement still runs
high , but it is now generally conceded
that the October term of Baldwin
County court will be held in Bay Mi
nette and not at Daphne.
Chicago has named a new Park Me-
Kinley Park. It has an area of forty
acres and along its southern edge an
artificial hill has been built up , the
only elevation for nearly a mile in
any direction. In one corner of the
park a wading pool has been made
and near it a large swimming pool ,
about eight feet deep in its deepest
part.
Rev. Charles Henry Brent , who has
been nominated for bishop of the Phil
ippines by the Episcopal general con
vention , was born in Newcastle , Ont. ,
in 1862 , and was graduated from Trin
ity college , Toronto , in 1884.
ago , the grave was neglected and for
gotten until it was accidentally opened
by the workmen a few days ago.
It is further related that the limb
of the tree on which Criss was hanged
immediately withered and decayed.The
leaves never budded on it again and
in the midst of the tree's greenness
that branch alone was sere and dead
as if it were indeed accursed. Finally
it fell from the trunk and for many
months lay undisturbed where it had
fallen. There was a superstition cur
rent regarding the branch and it was
shunned by everybody. One day a
party of movers came along and camp
ed under the tree for the night. Not
knowing the grewsome history of the
branch it was chopped up and burned
and supper was cooked with it for 'a
large family of greedy children.
DAIRY NOTES.
See that the calves are halter-wise.
Do not allow the cream to become
overripe , no matter even if you do
have to churn to save it.
T-oung calves need water as well as
milk. Set a pailful over the fence in
the yard and see them drink it down.
Give extra feed as the pastures be
gin to dry. Don't wait until the cows
have lost in flesh and in quantity of
milk.
Many a mortgage has been paid by
giving a herd of cows proper feed
and care and by carefully marketing
the product.
You will be surprised to sec how
well the little calves eat whole oats.
A small box should be " "arranged and
some thrown in every day.
Churning when you "get time , " and
churning at an yand all degrees of
ripeness of cream , account for the
varying flavor of dairy butter.
The good cow Is cheap at almost
any price. The poor cow i dear as a
gift. A poor cow'will eat up the
profits of two or three good cows. The
only way out of the trouble is to
weigh and test the milk of every cow ,
and keep only those that actually do
pay a good profit.
Renewed vigilance in the dairy is
now the order of the day. Every ar
ticle used in the dairy should be
scalded and scrubbed every day. Do
not use a cloth In the churn or on the
butter worker. Scrub with a stiff brush
and scald with boiling water and rinse
in cold water.
At a cost of about a million dollars
the government of Saxony has com
pleted a map of the whole country ,
giving minute details regarding fertil
ity , wines , etc.
To commend anarchist .crime in a
public place is a punishable offense
according to French law.
/ ,
CHANGES.
When first we love , you know , we sel
dom wed.
Time rules"us all. And Life , indeed
Is not
The thing we planned it out ere hop <
was dead ;
And then we women cannot choos (
our lot.
Much must be borne which is hard. t <
bear ,
Much given away which it wen
sweet to keep.
God help us all , who need , indeed , His
care.
And yet I know the shepherd lovei
his sheep.
My little boy begins to babble now
Upon my knee his earliest infanl
prayer.
He has his father's eager eyes I know ,
And , they say , too , his mother's sun
ny hair.
But when he sleeps and smiles upor
my knee ,
And I can feel his light breath come
and go ,
I think of one ( Heaven help and pity
me )
Who loved me , and whom I loved ,
long ago.
Who might have been as , what I dare
not think !
We are al Ichanged. God Judges us
for best.
God helps us to do our duty and not
think ,
And trust in heaven humbly , for the
rest.
But blame us women not if some ap
pear
Too cold at times , as some too gay
and light.
Some grief gnaws deep. Some woes
are hard to bear.
Who knows the past and who can
Judge us right ?
Ah , were we judged by what we might
have been ,
And not by what we are , too apt to
fall.
My little child he sleeps and smiles
between
These thoughts and me. In heaven
we shall know all.
THE WILD MAN OF CHICAGO.
Chicago , 111. Special. ) The Wild
Man of Borneo has just come to town.
He arived on a special train yesterday
and was accompanied by a number of
policemen of the Stock Yards station.
As a consequence the farmers in the
vicinity of Edison slept in their beds
last night , instead of under them. The
neighborhod has lost its terror , al
though the terror never did anything
worse than lok fierce and frowsy and
steal chickens. But the people didn't
know Just what the wild man might
do.
do.The
The wild man , routed from a cave ,
was caught after a long chase thro'
brush and thicket. The chase demon
strated the advantage of being domes
ticated. When the wild man was too
tired to run further and could do noth
ing but jabber the policemen who were
chasing him were fresh enough to run
another mile , and had plenty of lan
guage at their disposal.
In his cell in the police station the
wild man could give no intelligible an
swer to questions and seemed not to
mind his imprisonment. When offered
a raw carot he snatched it and swal
lowed it eagerly.
"Now we have got the fellow , I don't
know what we will do with him , " said
Captain Lavin. "If we can prove him
crazy , and I guess we can , we may
send him to an asylum. "
The police first heard of the wild
man in the morning , when a train
crew on the Michigan Central sent
word of a strange creature , who for
the last month had been living in a
cave west of Elsdon. A request was
made that the patrol wagon be sent
out with policemen to capture the man.
Desk Sergeant Prindiville suggested
that the trainmen make up a special
train for the purpose. J. H. Snyder , a
division superintendent , agreed to this ,
and a switch engine left Forty-third
street with Lieutenant Morris and po
licemen on board.
A fast run was made to the place
where the wild man was said to be
dwelling. In 'a clump of bushes at the
bottom of the embankment the police
men found the mouth of the cave in
which the wild man was said to live.
It recently has been made and was
large enough to admit a man in a
stooping posture. The remains of a
fire were just outside the entrance and
bones were scattered about.
From a farmer the policemen learn
ed that the wild man had run off to
: he woods on the approach of the train ,
kfter searching through the woods and
fields for an hour , Policeman Lowrie ,
who was in advance of the rest of the
party , caught sight of the object of
search. The man aparently was eat
ing beries from a bush. The police-
nen drew as close as possible with-
mt alarming the wild man and then
> urst out upon him. The fellow dashed
iway , the policemen in pursuit. The
: hase led over tree stumps and thro'
: hickets till the fugitive was exhaust-
id.
id.The
The wild man wore a shaggy beard
md disheveled hair. His finger nails
vere long and he was clad in rags.
iVhen searched he was found to have
n his possession a bone needle , a knife
vhich had been fashioned from a seo-
ion of a barrel hoop , and a supply of
T
natches.
The heroic equestrian statue of Rob-
rt E. Lee in Richmond , Va , , is be-
, eved to have hundreds of pounds of
oney concealed inside of it. .For
lonths bees have been going inand
ut of the parted lips of both the htt-
lan and the animal figure. The in-
ects were first seen there last sum-
ler and doubtless hs.ve been making
oney ever since. There is no way to
et inside either figure without doing
reparable damage , but fear is en-
jrtained that vandal hands may make
le attempt.
The full foreign trade statement of
le United States for August shows
lat exports to every quarter of the
lobe increased during the month ex-
jpt to South America , where ther
as a. decrease of $194,000. -
THE PATTERSON MURDERER * .
Paterson , N. J. ( Special.Just on <
year and a week ago pretty JennI
Bisscheiter , the mill girl , was drugge <
in Dan Saal's Riverside saloon , an <
then carried to Alyea/s icehouse ii
Bergen county , where her murden
left her dead.
Andrew Campbell , Walter McAllister
George Kerr and William Death , con
victed of murdering her , are in Tren
ton prison , all but Kerr , who escapet
with a 15-year sentence. Death is dy
ing. His health has been so bad tha
the prison physicians ordered him ou
In the sunshine between the high pris
on walls.
Not since the day he entered tha
prison has his young wife visited him
She has shown no desire to meet th <
man woh gave her his name only t
few short weeks before he was arrest
ed for the murder of the pretty Hol
land girl.
She Is a frequent figure here on the
streets and has joined in all the social
events of the city where her friends
mingle. Death has been told of his
wife's apparent indifference and this
is more to him than his confinement
The other evening Mrs. Death met a
well known business man on the streei
and stopped to talk with him. Twc
days after this incident a constable
with a prisoner from this city went tc
the prison. He saw Death in the yard
playing with a kitten.
"Say , John , " said Death , "is it true
that my wife is talking to so and so ? "
"Why , how do you know ? " answered
the constable.
"Now , don't lie to me , John. You
stood up the street and saw them , "
and Death's pallid consumptive face
took on a bright color. *
The officer knew that Death was
right , but is still puzled to know how
Death heard it so soon.
McAllister is a waiter in the prison
kitchen. He has grown so stout that
he is hardly the same dapper fellow
who at one time was Paterson's lead-
Ing society young man.
Campbell is a cellmate of Valentine ,
the bank wrecker. He is employed as
a clerk in the prison office.
George Kerr has had his own trou
bles. His daughter Irene married a
short time ago and soon afterward
the father was told that the couple
were not mated and had parted. A
week ago Garry Hen Schulthorpe , the
man who drove the party on that fatal
night when Jennie was killed , lost his
old horset he same one that carried
the party on that night.
Susie Bosschieter , sister of Jennie ,
married since. John Bosschieter , the
father of Jennie , is in .declining health ,
and his death is expected at any mo
ment.
The McAllister family has left the
city. Mrs. Kerr is living in retirement.
Every day , so her friends say , the wife
has a crying spell.
Campbell's mother also left Pater-
son , and Death's wife , from all out
ward signs.has given up every thought
of her husband.
HINTS TO HOUSEKEEPERS.
Huckleberries are a delightful addi
tion to molasses ginger cake as well
is to soda biscuit.
To make the nut fudge boil together
: hree cupfuls of granulated sugar , one
jupful of milk or cream , and one ta-
alespoonful of butter for ten minutes.
Pake from the fire , add one cupful of
shopped nuts and stir rapidly for a
: ew minutes. Pour into buttered pans
ind mark in squares.
Pineapple extract is a delightful sub
stitute for wine or brandy , and other
lavorings in pudding sauces.
To remove grease spots from floor
) oards , take a quarter of a pound each
> f fuller's earth and pearl ash and boil
n a quart of soft water. While hot
ay the mixture on the greased spots ,
.llowing it to remain on them from ten
o twelve hours , after which it may be
coured off with sand and water. A
loor much spotted with grease should
e completely washed over with the
nixture the day before it is scoured.
A tablespoonful of paraffin added to
ach gallon of water In which clothes
.re to be boiled helps to whiten them
specially if they are yellow from lay-
ng by.
Dents In polished furniture may be
emoved in the following manner :
> ay a number of layers of moistened
rown paper over the dent , and put a
rarm iron over them. The steam will
radually cause the wood to swell and
3 fill up the dent. It sometimes take
atience , but slight dents which are
considerable mar to furniture may
e raised in this way.
Stews where vegetables enter large-
\ in combination with a % little meat ,
hen slowly simmered and made thor-
aghly tender , are exceedingly whole-
> me. Soups too % are excellent , as they
in be made to contain a large amount
: nutriment in a most palatable form.
Egg Plant Fritters. Boil the egg
lant in salted water with lemon juice
11 tender. Then maah It well , add
tiough flour to it so that it may be
ounded , and to each cupful of the
ilxture add a beaten egg. Season with
It and pepper , put in a little melted
itter , shape and fry in boiling fat.
Beefsteak Pie with Oysters Cut sev-
al slices of sirloin or tenderloin steak
id fry them gently in a little butter ,
hen add a little water to them , sea-
m with salt and pepper , cover tightly
id simmer till very tender. Take up ,
> ur the liquor into the bottom of a
iking dish , laying the steak in alter-
ite layers with oysters. Pour in
ore stock , if needed , cover with a
tod crust and bake till this seems
ne.
rhe State's bath house business at
jvere Beach is a growing one. Last
miner's patronage rose to 170,993 per
ns , or U.6 per cent more than bought
bath from the state in the previous
mmjer. Total cash receipts were
5,272 , or about 22 cents per head.
LONG HORNED TEXAS CATTLE ,
Ban Antonio , Tex. ( Special. ) In the
stock exhibit which will form the most
interesting display at the San Antonio
International Fair , which will be in
progress next week , no feature will , be
more surprising to the visitor from the
north than the absence of the once-
famous long-horn steer.
The long-horn has become extinct In
Texas , and in its place on the vast
ranches flourishes the blooded Durham ,
the Shorthorn , the Polled Angus and
the Hereford. The scientist of future
ages who digs up the remains of the
present race in Texas will study the
fossil long-horn with at much wonder
ment and Interest as his prototype of
today studies the bones of the masto
don.
don.Probably
Probably in all the vast range of ev
olution there is no other instance of so
rapid a disappearance of a species as
is presented in the case of the Texas
long-horn. Of all the millions of cattle
of this variety that once ranged the
pastures of Texas twenty years ago
there remain only a few forlorn , lone
ly specimens which are objects of curi-
sity even to the Texan , and are re
tarded as freaks to be exhibited at the
jounty fairs.
The animal whose spreading horns
occupy most of the space in the ac
companying picture was one of these ;
a remnant of a race that was once a
host. Soon he and his few brothers
and sisters will die of1 old age , and
then the long-horn will be literally ex
tinct.
It is the pride of Texas stockmen
that this is so. They laugh at the vis
itor from another state , whose ideas of
Texas cattle raising have not kept
pace with its development , and who
comes expecting to find the long-horn
still in his glory. And they delight
to attend county fairs with their best
specimens of sleek , fat short-horns.
The San Antonio International Fair
( the word "international" is not an
empty boast in the title , for Mexico
annually sends a large exhibit apd tWs
-4-f
THE CURSE OF THE WITCH ,
Denver , Colo. ( Special. ) With the
suicide of William Rorke in Anaconda
the last male descendant of the yan
Rorke family , ( prominently identified
with early German history , has passed
iway. His suicide was the fulfillment
of a tradition handed down for cen
turies , and the ancient prophecy had
preyed on Rorke's mind for years.
The information has been given to
his friends in Anaconda that Rorke
committed suicide to escape his credit
ors , but Wilhelm D. Grosse , or West
phalia , Mich. , who knew Rorke's faui-
llyin Germany and later in New
3Tork , tells this story :
The Van Rorke family , in the feudal
Says , was one of the strongest and
most warlike families in Germany. It
Is told that the first Baron Van Rorke
tvas the head of a band of marauders.
That was in the seventeenth century ,
ind after a bloody battle the old ba
ron , who had joined the king's forces
and had been knighted and placed at
the head of a command , destroyed the
lesperate remnants of his old follow
ing.
ing.From
From a hill near his castle came an
old woman of the same strips as the
Witch of Endor. She cursed Van
Rorke during his last moments and
predicted calamities for his descend
ants. Among other things she foretold
that the last four male members of the ,
- - - - * - - * - - * - - * - - - - - - - -
TRIED TO KILL THEM BOTH ,
Allentown , Pa. ( Special. ) Because
his father refused to furnish him with
spending money , G. Wilson Smoyer , a
prominent young man of this city ,
made an attempt to poison both his
parents , Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin A.
Smoyer. Both are in a. critical condi
tion. The doctors have no hope for
the recovery of Mrs. Smoyer.
The elder Smoyer is a wealthy re
tired farmer and has lived in this city
for some years in one of the handsonv
est homes in Allentown's residence sec
tion.
tion.The
The young man who attempted to
till his parents is the only child. He
is a graduate of the Allentown Busi-
aess college and Muhlenburg college ,
ind is exceedingly bright in spite of
: he fact that he has been mentally de
ranged for some years , having been
in inmate of the Norristown Insane
isylum , from which institution he was
lischarged as cured.
Smoyer confessed to his"attempt to
poison his father and mother , but said
: hat he intended to kill only the
'onner.
Several weeks ago , when the family
iat down to dinner , the parents de-
ectod a peculiar small in the soup ,
ind later discovered that Smoyer had
mptied the contents of a two-ounce
rial of carbolic acid in the tureen. In
he most matter-of-fact way he de-
lared that he had done so for the
turpose of poisoning his father.
He was unrepentant , and soon after
latched out another diabolical plot ,
Lnd chose dinner today as the time
or carrying it into execution. It was
loticed that he took an unusual in-
erest in the preparation of the meal.
ITS. Smoyer , realizing her son's er-
atic disposition , kept a close watch on
ilm. In spite of her vigilance , how-
ver , he succeeded in emptying a large
ose of arsenic in the coffee pot un-
bserved.
year Is represented by the same com
missioners who have charge of the
Mexican exhibit at the Pan-American
exposition ) boasts the best stock dis
play In the south. The management is
especially liberal In Its offers of premi
ums in this class , and this policy has
had the desired effect of exciting a
lively rivalry among the stock raisers
of the state. And the exhibit does not
represent merely a few fancy stock
farms , where fine , blooded cattle are
raised as a specialty. The ordinary
ranchman comes In with his bunch of
heifers or steers , his horses and brood
mares , having nt fear of showing his
stock alongside those of the special
ist.
ist.This
This fair in San Antonla' Is a factor
in the growth of trade between the
United States and Mexico that deserves
to be encouraged. The Mexican comes
more readily than he goes to the cities
of the North , because he finds a city
and a people that remind him of his
home. He finds here his own Ian-
guage , his own church , his own people
and the food he prefers. For these
reasons the St. Louis manufacturers
and wholesale merchants are learning
to appreciate the advantages of an op
portunity to display their goods at
this fair.
Last spring when the delegation of
St. Louis business men toured Texas ,
they were entertained here at a Mex
ican support They talked World's
Fair energetically ! and interestingly
and found a ready response from their
hearers. But they were reminded by
President Vories P. Brown of the San
Antonio International Fair that San
Antonio has a fair and that , one good
'turn deserving another , the St. Louis
World's Fair management should not
overlook the opportunity to advertise
its big show by some sort of repre
sentation at the San Antonio fair. He
offered space free. This has borne
fruit in the promise of the St. Loula
people to send a representative to San
Antonio in the person of Robert Aull.
family would die by their own hands.
The Van Rorkes lived and prispered
for generation after generation. A
good many years ago the only living
family of Van Rorkes emigrated to
America. When they arrived on these
shores they dropped the prefix "van"
and became plain "Rorkes. "
The family did not prosper here'as
they had in the fatherland , and much
of their worldly goods dwindled away
until they were reduced from com
parative wealth to poverty.
Forty years ago , William Rorke's
grandfather shot himself. The news
startled the family , some of whom had
almost forgotten the prophecy of the
witch. Ten years ago Conrad , Wil
liam's father , killed himself by poison.
The news of his father's death affect
ed a brother of William until he , too ,
died by his own hand within two
weeks after the death of his father.
William Rorke came west and set
tled in the mining camps. He was well
liked and , was chosen for different
official positions with mining unions.
Apparently he had nothing to make
him unhappy , but he often declared
that he could not rid himself of mel
ancholy. The fact that he was the last
member of the old family preyed upon
his mind and in a letter to Grosse he
expressed fear that he would not be
able to stand the strain.
Shortly after the family sat down
to dinner , but the meal was only half
over when Mrs. Smoyer became death
ly ill. She was seized with terrible
pains , and while her husband was put
ting her to bed he , too , became ill.
Each had drank half a cup of cof
fee and an examination of the vessel
showed that there was enough poi
son in it to kill a dozen people. Young
Smoyer was absolutely indifferent to
the condition of the parents , and he ,
too , drank some of the coffee as a
blind , but left the dining room and
spat it out.
After having seen the results of hla
deeed , Smoyer coolly packedup hia
clothing and was about to leave for
the country to husk corn , wnen the po
lice arrested him.
He had previously told his parenta
that he had tried to poison them , antf
to Chief of Police
Magee he made a
full confession , repeating that he want-
ed to kill his father because he would
n't give him any money to spend.
Smoyer was lodged In jail to await
the outcome of the case. The prisoner
Is 30 years of age , and has been In
trouble a number of times.
A novel invention used in the north
of England is a sort of automatic
"bouncer" for use in public houses.
Punctually at closing time the legend ,
"Time , please , gentlemen ! " appears on
a glass face , and then an electric
gong starts ringing with such amaz
ing power that it becomes quite Ira-
possiblt for even the most enthusiastic
toper to occupy the bar for another in-
stant.
One of the last efforts of the late
summer science was to show that sun-
strike is the work of a germ. It is
Xell understood that the lightning
stroke camea of a microbe when it's
from Jersey lightning.